DMK boycotts Kolathur EVM verification, alleges lapses, plans court move

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on Saturday announced its decision to withdraw from the verification of electronic voting machines (EVMs) used in the Kolathur Assembly constituency, where party president M.K. Stalin was a candidate. The party alleged that the machines were not properly protected and said it would approach the Madras High Court or the Supreme Court.

Senior advocate N.R. Elango, who represented Mr. Stalin during the verification process, told reporters that the party had examined eight EVMs so far and found discrepancies in three of them. “Since nearly 30% of the machines examined have shown problems, we have come to the conclusion that the election was not conducted fairly. We believe we can establish this scientifically and legally,” he said.

Mr. Elango said the party had submitted a letter containing 19 questions to the District Election Officer and sought clarifications from officials, including representatives of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, who were supervising the verification.

He further alleged that when he examined the EVMs used at Polling Station No. 157, the address tags on the machines appeared to be new and unused. “There were 36 candidates in the Kolathur constituency, so each polling station should have had one control unit and three ballot units, with a total of seven address tags. However, the address tags appeared to be new and did not contain the required details,” he explained.

Mr. Elango also pointed to an alleged discrepancy concerning the seals on the machines. “Ordinarily, address tags are secured with amber seals. In the machines produced for verification, the amber seal was found only on the front side. Election officials have attributed this to human error, but we cannot accept that explanation,” he said.

He argued that ballot units are not used during counting; only the control unit is accessed. “That means the control unit would have been opened during counting and sealed again. There should, therefore, have been two amber seals. We believe the EVMs were not properly protected. We will not participate in the procedure,” he added.

The DMK’s decision marks a significant escalation in its challenge to the electoral process in Kolathur. The party has consistently raised concerns about the conduct of the election and has now chosen to pursue legal remedies. The Election Commission and state authorities have yet to respond formally to the party’s allegations.